Timeline of Communication History

Index

Ancient and Early Eras: 3500BC-1099 AD Early and Middle Ages:1100-1399 Late Middle Ages: 1400-1599 Enlightenment & Renaissance: 1600-1799 19th Century: 1800 – 1890 20th Century: 1910-1995

3500 -- 59 B.C. 3500: In Sumer. pictographs of accounts written on clay tablets. 2600: Scribes employed in Egypt. 2400: In India, engraved seals identify the writer. 2200: Date of oldest existing document written on papyrus. 1500: Phoenician alphabet. 1400: Oldest record of writing in China, on bones. 1270: Syrian scholar compiles an encyclopedia. 900: China has an organized postal service for government use. 775: Greeks develop a phonetic alphabet, written from left to right. 530: In Greece, a library. 500: Greek telegraph: trumpets, drums, shouting, beacon fires, smoke signals, mirrors. 500: Persia has a form of pony express. 500: Chinese scholars write on bamboo with reeds dipped in pigment. 400: Chinese write on silk as well as wood, bamboo. 200: Books written on parchment and vellum. 200: Tipao gazettes are circulated to Chinese officials. 59: Julius Caesar orders postings of Acta Diurna. 100 - 999 A.D. 100: Roman couriers carry government mail across the empire. 105: T'sai Lun invents paper. 175: Chinese classics are carved in stone which will later be used for rubbings. 180: In China, an elementary zoetrope. 250: Paper use spreads to central Asia. 350: In Egypt, parchment book of Psalms bound in wood covers. 450: Ink on seals is stamped on paper in China. This is true printing. 600: Books printed in China. 700: Sizing agents are used to improve paper quality. 751: Paper manufactured outside of China, in Samarkand by Chinese captured in war. 765: Picture books printed in Japan. 868: The Diamond Sutra, a block-printed book in China. 875: Amazed travelers to China see toilet paper. 950: Paper use spreads west to Spain. 950: Folded books appear in China in place of rolls. 950: Bored women in a Chinese harem invent playing cards. 1000-1099 1000: Mayas in Yucatan, Mexico, make writing paper from tree bark. 1035: Japanese use waste paper to make new paper. 1049: Pi Sheng fabricates movable type, using clay. 1100-1199 1116: Chinese sew pages to make stitched books. 1140: In Egypt, cloth is stripped from mummies to make paper. 1147: Crusader taken prisoner returns with papermaking art, according to a legend. 1200-1299 1200: European monasteries communicate by letter system. 1200: University of Paris starts messenger service. 1241: In Korea, metal type. 1282: In Italy, watermarks are added to paper. 1298: Marco Polo describes use of paper money in China. 1300-1399

1300: Wooden type found in central Asia. 1305: Taxis family begins private postal service in Europe. 1309: Paper is used in England. 1392: Koreans have a type foundry to produce bronze characters. 1400-1499 1423: Europeans begin Chinese method of block printing. 1450: A few newsletters begin circulating in Europe. 1451: Johnannes Gutenberg uses a press to print an old German poem. 1452: Metal plates are used in printing. 1453: Gutenberg prints the 42-line Bible. 1464: King of France establishes postal system. 1490: Printing of books on paper becomes more common in Europe. 1495: A paper mill is established in England. 1500-1599 1500: Arithmetic + and - symbols are used in Europe. 1500: By now approximately 35,000 books have been printed, some 10 million copies. 1520: Spectacles balance on the noses of Europe's educated. 1533: A postmaster in England. 1545: Garamond designs his typeface. 1550: Wallpaper brought to Europe from China by traders. 1560: In Italy, the portable camera obscura allows precise tracing of an image. 1560: Legalized, regulated private postal systems grow in Europe. 1565: The pencil. 1600-1649 1609: First regularly published newspaper appears in Germany. 1627: France introduces registered mail. 1631: A French newspaper carries classified ads. 1639: In Boston, someone is appointed to deal with foreign mail. 1639: First printing press in the American colonies. 1640: Kirchner, a German Jesuit, builds a magic lantern. 1650-1699 1650: Leipzig has a daily newspaper. 1653: Parisians can put their postage-paid letters in mail boxes. 1659: Londoners get the penny post. 1661: Postal service within the colony of Virginia. 1673: Mail is delivered on a route between New York and Boston. 1689: Newspapers are printed, at first as unfolded "broadsides." 1696: By now England has 100 paper mills. 1698: Public library opens in Charleston, S.C. 1700-1749 1704: A newspaper in Boston prints advertising. 1710: German engraver Le Blon develops three-color printing. 1714: Henry Mill receives patent in England for a typewriter. 1719: Reaumur proposes using wood to make paper. 1725: Scottish printer develops stereotyping system. 1727: Schulze begins science of photochemistry. 1732: In Philadelphia, Ben Franklin starts a circulating library. 1750-1799 1755: Regular mail ship runs between England and the colonies. 1770: The eraser. 1774: Swedish chemist invents a future paper whitener. 1775: Continental Congress authorizes Post Office; Ben Franklin first Postmaster General. 1780: Steel pen points begin to replace quill feathers. 1784: French book is made without rags, from vegetation. 1785: Stagecoaches carry the mail between towns in U.S. 1790: In England the hydraulic press is invented. 1792: Mechanical semaphore signaler built in France. 1792: In Britain, postal money orders. 1792: Postal Act gives mail regularity throughout U.S. 1794: First letter carriers appear on American city streets. 1794: Panorama, forerunner of movie theaters, opens.

1794: Signaling system connects Paris and Lille. 1798: Senefelder in Germany invents lithography. 1799: Robert in France invents a paper-making machine. 1800-1809 1800: Paper can be made from vegetable fibers instead of rags. 1800: Letter takes 20 days to reach Savannah from Portland, Maine. 1801: Semaphore system built along the coast of France. 1801: Joseph-Marie Jacquard invents a loom using punch cards. 1803: Fourdrinier continuous web paper-making machine. 1804: In Germany, lithography is invented. 1806: Carbon paper. 1807: Camera lucida improves image tracing. 1808: Turri of Italy builds a typewriter for a blind contessa. 1810-1819 1810: An electro-chemical telegraph is constructed in Germany. 1810: Postal services consolidated under uniform private contracts. 1813: Congress authorizes steam boats to carry mail. 1814: In England, a steam-powered rotary press prints The Times. 1815: 3,000 post offices in U.S. 1816: Newspapers carried for less than 2 cents postage. 1816: Niépce captures image with 8-hour exposure. 1818: Stamped letter paper is sold in Sardinia. 1818: In Sweden, Berzelius isolates selenium; its electric conductivity reacts to light. 1819: Napier builds a rotary printing press. 1820-1829 1820: Arithmometer, forerunner of the calculator. 1821: In England, Wheatstone reproduces sound. 1823: Babbage builds a section of a calculating machine. 1823: In England, Ronalds builds a telegraph in his garden; no one is interested. 1825: Persistence of vision shown with Thaumatrope. 1827: Niépce makes a true photograph. 1827: In London, Wheatstone constructs a microphone. 1829: Daguerre joins Niépce to pursue photographic inventions. 1829: Burt gets the first U.S. patent for a typewriter. 1830-1839 1830: Calendered paper is produced in England. 1832: Phenakistoscope in Belgium and Stroboscope in Austria point to motion pictures. 1833: A penny buys a New York newspaper, opening a mass market. 1833: In Germany, a telegraph running nearly two miles. 1834: Babbage conceives the analytical engine, forerunner of the computer. 1835: Bennett publishes the first of his penny press editions. 1836: Rowland Hill starts to reform British postal system. 1837: Wheatstone and Cooke patent an electric telegraph in England. 1837: Morse exhibits an electric telegraph in the U.S. 1837: Pitman publishes a book on shorthand in England. 1837: Daguerre cuts photo exposure time to 20 minutes. 1838: In England, Wheatstone's Stereoscope shows pictures in 3-D. 1838: Morse exhibits an electric telegraph in the U.S. 1838: Daguerre-Niépce method begins photography craze. 1839: Fox Talbot in England produces photographs. 1839: Herschel invents hypo fixative. 1839: In Russia, Jacobi invents electrotyping, the duplicating of printing plates. 1839: Electricity runs a printing press. 1839: Fox Talbot in England prints photographs from negatives. 1840-1849 1840: In Britain, first postage stamps are sold. 1841: Petzval of Austria builds an f/3.6 lens. 1841: The advertising agency is born. 1841: The first type-composing machine goes into use in London. 1842: Illustrated London News appears. 1842: Another use for paper: the Christmas card.

1843: In the U.S., the photographic enlarger. 1843: Ada, Lady Lovelace publishes her Notes explaining a computer. 1844: Morse's telegraph connects Washington and Baltimore. 1845: Postal reform bill lowers rates and regulates domestic and international service. 1845: English Channel cable. 1845: The typewriter ribbon. 1846: In Germany, Zeiss begins manufacturing lenses. 1846: Double cylinder rotary press produces 8,000 sheets an hour. 1847: A Philadelphia newspaper rolls off a rotary printing press. 1847: First use of telegraph as business tool. 1847: In England, Bakewell constructs a "copying telegraph." 1848: Forerunner of the Associated Press is founded in New York. 1849: The photographic slide. 1850-1859 1850: The paper bag arrives. 1851: In the U.S., paper is made from wood fiber. 1851: The Erie railroad depends on the telegraph. 1851: Cable is laid across the English Channel. 1851: Archer invents wet-plate photography process. 1851: In England, Talbot takes a flash photograph at 1/100,000 second exposure. 1851: Newspaper postage cut in half; free distribution within county. 1852: Postage stamps are widely used. 1853: Envelopes made by paper folding machine. 1854: Telegraph used in Crimean War. 1854: Wood pulp is added by paper makers. 1854: Bourseul in France builds an experimental telephone. 1854: Carte-de-visite process simplifies photography. 1854: Curved stereotype plate obviates column rules; wide ads soon. 1855: Printing telegraph invented in the U.S. 1855: Prepayment of letters made compulsory. 1855: Registered letters enter service. 1856: Poitevan starts photolithography. 1856: Blotting paper replaces sand boxes. 1856: Machine folds newspapers, paper for books. 1857: A machine to set type is demonstrated. 1857: In France, Scott's phonautograph is a forerunner of Edison's phonograph. 1858: Mail boxes appear on American streets. 1858: First effort at transatlantic telegraph service fails. 1858: Eraser is fitted to the end of a pencil. 1858: An aerial photograph is taken. 1859: Camera gets a wide-angled lens. 1860-1869 1860: In U.S., Sholes builds a functional typewriter. 1860: Pony Express carries mail between St. Joseph, Mo. and Sacramento. 1861: Telegraph brings Pony Express to an abrupt end. 1861: First chemical means to color photography. 1861: Oliver Wendell Holmes invents stereoscope. 1862: In Italy, Caselli sends a drawing over a wire. 1862: in U.S., paper money. 1863: Large U.S. cities get free home delivery of mail. 1863: First international postal conference held in Paris. 1864: Workers in "railway post office" sort mail on trains. 1864: Postal money orders sold in U.S; $1.3 million in 6 months. 1864: The railroad train hooks on a mail car. 1864: In Virginia, wireless electromagnetic waves are transmitted 14 miles. 1865: Atlantic cable ties Europe and U.S. for instant communication. 1866: Western Union dominates U.S. wires. 1867: In U.S., Sholes builds a functional typewriter. 1868: Writing machine is called a "Type-Writer"; so is the typist. 1869: Carbon paper is invented. 1869: Color photography, using the subtractive method.

1869: From Austria, postcards. 1870-1879 1870: Stock ticker comes to Wall Street. 1871: Halftone process allows newspaper printing of pictures. 1872: Simultaneous transmission from both ends of a telegraph wire. 1872: Wood pulp will be the source of paper, thanks to Swedish sulfite process. 1873: U.S. postcard debuts; costs one penny. 1873: Illustrated daily newspaper appears in New York. 1873: Maxwell publishes theory of radio waves. 1873: First color photographs. 1873: Remington starts manufacturing Sholes' typewriters. 1873: Typewriters get the QWERTY pseudo-scientific keyboard. 1873: Lord Kelvin calculates the tides with a machine. 1873: In Ireland, May uses selenium to send a signal through the Atlantic cable. 1874: Universal Postal Union formed. 1875: Edison invents the mimeograph. 1875: In the U.S., Carey designs a selenium mosaic to transmit a picture. 1876: Bell invents the telephone. 1877: In France, Charles Cros invents the phonograph. 1877: In America, Edison also invents the phonograph. 1878: Muybridge photographs a horse in motion. 1878: Cathode ray tube is invented by Crookes, English chemist. 1878: The dynamic microphone is invented in the U.S. and Germany. 1878: Telephone directories are issued. 1878: Full page newspaper ads. 1878: In France, praxinoscope, an optical toy, a step toward movies. 1878: Hughes invents the microphone. 1878: Dry-plate photography. 1879: Benday process aids newspaper production of maps, drawings. 1880-1889 1880: First photos in newspapers, using halftones. 1880: Edison invents the electric light. 1880: France's Leblanc theorizes transmitting a picture in segments. 1880: First parcel post. 1880: Business offices begin to look modern. 1882: In England, the first Wirephotos. 1883: Edison stumbles onto "Edison effect"; basis of broadcast tubes. 1884: In Germany, Nipkow scanning disc, early version of television. 1884: People can now make long distance phone calls. 1884: Electric tabulator is introduced. 1884: Waterman's fountain pen blots out earlier versions. 1885: Dictating machines are bought for offices. 1885: Eastman makes coated photo printing paper. 1885: U.S. Post Office offers special delivery. 1885: Trains are delivering newspapers daily. 1886: Graphophone's wax cylinder and sapphire stylus improve sound. 1886: Mergenthaler constructs a linotype machine for setting type. 1887: Celluloid film; it will replace glass plate photography. 1887: Montgomery Ward mails out a 540-page catalog. 1887: Berliner gets music from a flat disc stamped out by machine. 1887: Comptometer multi-function adding machine is manufactured. 1888: "Kodak" box camera makes picture taking simple. 1888: Heinrich Hertz proves the existence of radio waves. 1888: The coin-operated public telephone. 1888: Edison's phonograph is manufactured for sale to the public. 1889: Herman Hollerith counts the population with punch cards. 1889: Strowger, Kansas City undertaker, invents automatic telephone exchange. 1890-1899 1890: A.B. Dick markets the mimeograph. 1890: Typewriters are in common use in offices. 1890: In England, Friese-Greene builds the kinematograph camera and projector.

1890: In France, Branly's coherer conducts radio waves. 1891: Large press prints and folds 90,000 4-page papers an hour. 1891: Telephoto lens is attached to the camera. 1891: Edison's assistant, Dickson, builds the Kinetograph motion picture camera. 1892: Edison and Dickson invent the peep-show Kinetoscope. 1892: 4-color rotary press. 1892: Portable typewriters. 1892: Automatic telephone switchboard comes into service. 1893: Dickson builds a motion picture studio in New Jersey. 1893: Addressograph joins the office machinery. 1894: Marconi invents wireless telegraphy. 1894: Box making machines give impetus to packaging industry. 1894: Berliner's flat phonograph disc competes with the cylinder. 1895: France's Lumiere brothers build a portable movie camera. 1895: Paris audience sees movies projected. 1895: In England, Friese-Greene invents phototypesetting. 1895: Dial telephones go into Milwaukee's city hall. 1896: Underwood model permits typists to see what they are typing. 1896: The monotype sets type by machine in single characters. 1896: Electric power is used to run a paper mill. 1896: In Britain, the motion picture projector is manufactured. 1896: X-ray photography. 1896: Rural free delivery (RFD) inaugurated. 1897: In England, postmen deliver mail to every home. 1897: In Germany, Braun improves Crookes' tube with fluorescence. 1897: General Electric creates a publicity department. 1898: Photographs taken by artificial light. 1898: New York State passes a law against misleading advertising. 1899: The loudspeaker. 1899: Sound is recorded magnetically by Poulsen of Denmark. 1899: American Marconi Company incorporated; forerunner of RCA. 1900-1902

1900: Kodak Brownie makes photography cheaper and simpler. 1900: Pupin's loading coil reduces telephone voice distortion. 1901: Sale of phonograph disc made of hard resinous shellac. 1901: First electric typewriter, the Blickensderfer. 1901: Marconi sends a radio signal across the Atlantic. 1902: Germany's Zeiss invents the four-element Tessar camera lens. 1902: Etched zinc engravings start to replace hand-cut wood blocks. 1902: U.S. Navy installs radio telephones aboard ships. 1902: Photoelectric scanning can send and receive a picture. 1902: Trans-Pacific telephone cable connects Canada and Australia.

1903-1904 1903: Technical improvements in radio, telegraph, phonograph, movies and printing. 1903: London Daily Mirror illustrates only with photographs. 1904: A telephone answering machine is invented. 1904: Fleming invents the diode to improve radio communication. 1904: Offset lithography becomes a commercial reality. 1904: A photograph is transmitted by wire in Germany. 1904: Hine photographs America's underclass. 1904: The Great Train Robbery creates demand for fiction movies. 1904: The comic book. 1904: The double-sided phonograph disc. 1905-1906 1905: In Pittsburgh the first nickelodeon opens. 1905: Photography, printing, and post combine in the year's craze, picture postcards. 1905: In France, Pathe colors black and white films by machine. 1905: In New Zealand, the postage meter is introduced. 1905: The Yellow Pages. 1905: The juke box; 24 choices. 1906: In Britain, new process colors books cheaply.

1906: A program of voice and music is broadcast in the U.S. 1906: Lee de Forest invents the three-element vacuum tube. 1906: Dunwoody and Pickard build a crystal-and-cat's-whisker radio. 1906: An animated cartoon film is produced. 1906: Fessenden plays violin for startled ship wireless operators. 1906: An experimental sound-on-film motion picture. 1906: Strowger invents automatic dial telephone switching. 1907-1908 1907: Bell and Howell develop a film projection system. 1907: Lumiere brothers invent still color photography process. 1907: DeForest begins regular radio music broadcasts. 1907: In Russia, Rosing develops theory of television. 1908: In U.S., Smith introduces true color motion pictures. 1909-1910 1909: Radio distress signal saves 1,700 lives after ships collide. 1909: First broadcast talk; the subject: women's suffrage. 1910: Sweden's Elkstrom invents "flying spot" camera light beam. 1911-1912 1911: Efforts are made to bring sound to motion pictures. 1911: Rotogravure aids magazine production of photos. 1911: "Postal savings system" inaugurated. 1912: U.S. passes law to control radio stations. 1912: Motorized movie cameras replace hand cranks. 1912: Feedback and heterodyne systems usher in modern radio. 1912: First mail carried by airplane. 1913-1914 1913: The portable phonograph is manufactured. 1913: Type composing machines roll out of the factory. 1914: A better triode vacuum tube improves radio reception. 1914: Radio message is sent to an airplane. 1914: In Germany, the 35mm still camera, a Leica. 1914: In the U.S., Goddard begins rocket experiments. 1914: First transcontinental telephone call. 1915-1916 1915: Wireless radio service connects U.S. and Japan. 1915: Radio-telephone carries speech across the Atlantic. 1915: Birth of a Nation sets new movie standards. 1915: The electric loudspeaker. 1916: David Sarnoff envisions radio as "a household utility." 1916: Cameras get optical rangefinders. 1916: Radios get tuners. 1917-1918 1917: Photocomposition begins. 1917: Frank Conrad builds a radio station, later KDKA. 1917: Condenser microphone aids broadcasting, recording. 1918: First regular airmail service: Washington, D.C. to New York. 1919 1919: People can now dial telephone numbers themselves. 1919: Shortwave radio is invented. 1919: Flip-flop circuit invented; will help computers to count. 1920 1920: The first broadcasting stations are opened. 1920: First cross-country airmail flight in the U.S. 1920: Sound recording is done electrically. 1920: Post Office accepts the postage meter. 1920: KDKA in Pittsburgh broadcasts first scheduled programs. 1921 1921: Quartz crystals keep radio signals from wandering. 1921: The word "robot" enters the language. 1921: Western Union begins wirephoto service.

1922 1922: A commercial is broadcast, $100 for ten minutes. 1922: Technicolor introduces two-color process for movies. 1922: Germany's UFA produces a film with an optical sound track. 1922: First 3-D movie, requires spectacles with one red and one green lens. 1922: Singers desert phonograph horn mouths for acoustic studios. 1922: Nanook of the North, the first documentary. 1923 1923: Zworykin's electronic iconoscope camera tube and kinescope display tube. 1923: People on one ship can talk to people on another. 1923: Ribbon microphone becomes the studio standard. 1923: A picture, broken into dots, is sent by wire. 1923: 16 mm nonflammable film makes its debut. 1923: Kodak introduces home movie equipment. 1923: Neon advertising signs. 1924 1924: Low tech achievement: notebooks get spiral bindings. 1924: The Eveready Hour is the first sponsored radio program. 1924: At KDKA, Conrad sets up a short-wave radio transmitter. 1924: Daily coast-to-coast air mail service. 1924: Pictures are transmitted over telephone lines. 1924: Two and a half million radio sets in the U.S. 1925 1925: The Leica 35 mm camera sets a new standard. 1925: Commercial picture facsimile radio service across the U.S. 1925: All-electric phonograph is built. 1925: A moving image, the blades of a model windmill, is telecast. 1925: From France, a wide-screen film. 1926 1926: Commercial picture facsimile radio service across the Atlantic. 1926: Baird demonstrates an electro-mechanical TV system. 1926: Some radios get automatic volume control, a mixed blessing. 1926: The Book-of-the-Month Club. 1926: In U.S., first 16mm movie is shot. 1926: Goddard launches liquid-fuel rocket. 1926: Permanent radio network, NBC, is formed. 1926: Bell Telephone Labs transmit film by television. 1927 1927: NBC begins two radio networks; CBS formed. 1927: Farnsworth assembles a complete electronic TV system. 1927: Jolson's "The Jazz Singer" is the first popular "talkie." 1927: Movietone offers newsreels in sound. 1927: U.S. Radio Act declares public ownership of the airwaves. 1927: Technicolor. 1927: Negative feedback makes hi-fi possible. 1928 1928: Baird demonstrates color TV on electro-mechanical system. 1928: The teletype machine makes its debut. 1928: Television sets are put in three homes, programming begins. 1928: Baird invents a video disc to record television. 1928: In an experiment, television crosses the Atlantic. 1928: In Schenectady, N.Y., the first scheduled television broadcasts. 1928: Steamboat Willie introduces Mickey Mouse. 1928: A motion picture is shown in color. 1928: Times Square gets moving headlines in electric lights. 1928: IBM adopts the 80-column punched card. 1929 1929: Experiments begin on electronic color television. 1929: Telegraph ticker sends 500 characters per minute. 1929: Ship passengers can phone relatives ashore.

1929: Brokers watch stock prices on an automated electric board. 1929: Something else new: the car radio. 1929: In Germany, magnetic sound recording on plastic tape. 1929: Television studio is built in London. 1929: Air mail flown from Miami to South America. 1929: Bell Lab transmits stills in color by mechanical scanning. 1929: Zworykin demonstrates cathode-ray tube "kinescope" receiver, 60 scan lines. 1930 1930: Photo flashbulbs replace dangerous flash powder. 1930: "Golden Age" of radio begins in U.S. 1930: Lowell Thomas begins first regular network newscast. 1930: TVs based on British mechanical system roll off factory line. 1930: Bush's differential analyzer introduces the computer. 1930: AT&T tries the picture telephone. 1931 1931: Commercial teletype service. 1931: Electronic TV broadcasts in Los Angeles and Moscow. 1931: Exposures meters go on sale to photographers. 1931: NBC experimentally doubles transmission to 120-line screen. 1932 1932: Disney adopts a three-color Technicolor process for cartoons. 1932: Kodak introduces 8 mm film for home movies. 1932: The "Times" of London uses its new Times Roman typeface. 1932: Stereophonic sound in a motion picture, "Napoleon." 1932: Zoom lens is invented, but a practical model is 21 years off. 1932: The light meter. 1932: NBC and CBS allow prices to be mentioned in commercials. 1933 1933: Armstrong invents FM, but its real future is 20 years off. 1933: Multiple-flash sports photography. 1933: Singing telegrams. 1933: Phonograph records go stereo. 1934 1934: Drive-in movie theater opens in New Jersey. 1934: Associated Press starts wirephoto service. 1934: In Germany, a mobile television truck roams the streets. 1934: In Scotland, teletypesetting sets type by phone line. 1934: Three-color Technicolor used in live action film. 1934: Communications Act of 1934 creates FCC. 1934: Half of the homes in the U.S. have radios. 1934: Mutual Radio Network begins operations. 1935 1935: German single lens reflex roll film camera synchronized for flash bulbs. 1935: Also in Germany, audio tape recorders go on sale. 1935: IBM's electric typewriter comes off the assembly line. 1935: The Penguin paperback book sells for the price of 10 cigarettes. 1935: All-electronic VHF television comes out of the lab. 1935: Eastman-Kodak develops Kodachrome color film. 1935: Nielsen's Audimeter tracks radio audiences. 1936 1936: Berlin Olympics are televised closed circuit. 1936: Bell Labs invents a voice recognition machine. 1936: Kodachrome film sharpens color photography. 1936: Co-axial cable connects New York to Philadelphia. 1936: Alan Turing's "On Computable Numbers" describes a general purpose computer. 1937 1937: Stibitz of Bell Labs invents the electrical digital calculator. 1937: Pulse Code Modulation points the way to digital transmission. 1937: NBC sends mobile TV truck onto New York streets. 1937: A recording, the Hindenburg crash, is broadcast coast to coast. 1937: Carlson invents the photocopier.

1937:Snow White is the first feature-length cartoon. 1938 1938: Strobe lighting. 1938: Baird demonstrates live TV in color. 1938: Broadcasts can be taped and edited. 1938: Two brothers named Biro invent the ballpoint pen in Argentina. 1938: CBS "World News Roundup" ushers in modern newscasting. 1938: DuMont markets electronic television receiver for the home. 1938: Radio drama, War of the Worlds," causes national panic. 1939 1939: Mechanical scanning system abandoned. 1939: New York World's Fair shows television to public. 1939: Regular TV broadcasts begin. 1939: Air mail service across the Atlantic. 1939: Many firsts: sports coverage, variety show, feature film, etc. 1940 1940: Fantasia introduces stereo sound to American public. 1941 1941: Stereo is installed in a Moscow movie theater. 1941: FCC sets U.S. TV standards. 1941: CBS and NBC start commercial transmission; WW II intervenes. 1941: Goldmark at CBS experiments with electronic color TV. 1941: Microwave transmission. 1941: Zuse's Z3 is the first computer controlled by software. 1942 1942: Atanasoff, Berry build the first electronic digital computer. 1942: Kodacolor process produces the color print. 1943 1943: Repeaters on phone lines quiet long distance call noise. 1944 1944: Harvard's Mark I, first digital computer, put in service. 1944: IBM offers a typewriter with proportional spacing. 1944: NBC presents first U.S. network newscast, a curiosity. 1945 1945: Clarke envisions geo-synchronous communication satellites. 1945: It is estimated that 14,000 products are made from paper. 1946 1946: Jukeboxes go into mass production. 1946: Pennsylvania's ENIAC heralds the modern electronic computer. 1946: Automobile radio telephones connect to telephone network. 1946: French engineers build a phototypesetting machine. 1947 1947: Hungarian engineer in England invents holography. 1947: The transistor is invented, will replace vacuum tubes. 1947: The zoom lens covers baseball's world series for TV. 1947: Holography invented. 1948 1948: The LP record arrives on a viny disk. 1948: Shannon and Weaver of Bell Labs propound information theory. 1948: Land's Polaroid camera prints pictures in a minute. 1948: Hollywood switches to nonflammable film. 1948: Public clamor for television begins; FCC freezes new licenses. 1948: Airplane re-broadcasts TV signal across nine states. 1949 1949: Network TV in U.S. 1949: RCA offers the 45 rpm record. 1949: Community Antenna Television, forerunner to cable. 1949: Whirlwind at MIT is the first real time computer. 1949: Magnetic core computer memory is invented. 1950 1950: Regular color television transmission.

1950: Vidicon camera tube improves television picture. 1950: Changeable typewriter typefaces in use. 1950: A.C. Nielsen's Audimeters track viewer watching. 1951 1951: One and a half million TV sets in U.S., a tenfold jump in one year. 1951: Cinerama will briefly dazzle with a wide, curved screen and three projectors. 1951: Computers are sold commercially. 1951: Still camera get built-in flash units. 1951: Coaxial cable reaches coast to coast. 1952 1952: 3-D movies offer thrills to the audience. 1952: Bing Crosby's company tests video recording. 1952: Wide-screen Cinerama appears; other systems soon follow. 1952: Sony offers a miniature transistor radio. 1952: EDVAC takes computer technology a giant leap forward. 1952: Univac projects the winner of the presidential election on CBS. 1952: Telephone area codes. 1952: Zenith proposes pay-TV system using punched cards. 1952: Sony offers a miniature transistor radio. 1953 1953: NTSC color standard adopted. 1953: CATV system uses microwave to bring in distant signals. 1954 1954: U.S.S.R. launches Sputnik. 1954: Radio sets in the world now outnumber newspapers printed daily. 1954: Regular color TV broadcasts begin. 1954: Sporting events are broadcast live in color. 1954: Radio sets in the world now outnumber daily newspapers. 1954: Transistor radios are sold. 1955 1955: Tests begin to communicate via fiber optics. 1955: Music is recorded on tape in stereo. 1956 1956: Ampex builds a practical videotape recorder. 1956: Bell tests the picture phone. 1956: First transatlantic telephone calls by cable. 1957 1957: Soviet Union's Sputnik sends signals from space. 1957: FORTRAN becomes the first high-level language. 1957: A surgical operation is televised. 1957: First book to be entirely phototypeset is offset printed. 1958 1958: Videotape delivers color. 1958: Stereo recording is introduced. 1958: Data moves over regular phone circuits. 1958: Broadcast bounced off rocket, pre-satellite communication. 1958: The laser. 1958: Cable carries FM radio stations. 1959 1959: Local announcements, weather data and local ads go on cable. 1959: The microchip is invented. 1959: Xerox manufactures a plain paper copier. 1959: Bell Labs experiments with artificial intelligence. 1959: French SECAM and German PAL systems introduced. 1960 1960: Echo I, a U.S. balloon in orbit, reflects radio signals to Earth. 1960: In Rhode Island, an electronic, automated post office. 1960: A movie gets Smell-O-Vision, but the public just sniffs. 1960: Zenith tests subscription TV; unsuccessful. 1961 1961: Boxing match test shows potential of pay-TV.

1961: FCC approves FM stereo broadcasting; spurs FM development. 1961: Bell Labs tests communication by light waves. 1961: IBM introduces the "golf ball" typewriter. 1961: Letraset makes headlines simple. 1961: The time-sharing computer is developed. 1962 1962: Cable companies import distant signals. 1962: FCC requires UHF tuners on tv sets. 1962: The minicomputer arrives. 1962: Comsat created to launch, operate global system. 1962: Telstar satellite transmits an image across the Atlantic. 1963 1963: From Holland comes the audio cassette. 1963: Zip codes. 1963: CBS and NBC TV newscasts expand to 30 minutes in color. 1963: PDP-8 becomes the first popular minicomputer. 1963: Polaroid camera instant photography adds color. 1963: Communications satellite is placed in geo-synchronous orbit. 1963: TV news "comes of age" in reporting JFK assassination. 1964 1964: Olympic Games in Tokyo telecast live globally by satellite. 1964: Touch Tone telephones and Picturephone service. 1964: From Japan, the videotape recorder for home use. 1964: Russian scientists bounce a signal off Jupiter. 1964: Intelsat, international satellite organization, is formed. 1965 1965: Electronic phone exchange gives customers extra services. 1965: Satellites begin domestic TV distribution in Soviet Union. 1965: Computer time-sharing becomes popular. 1965: Color news film. 1965: Communications satellite Early Bird (Intelsat I) orbits above the Atlantic. 1965: Kodak offers Super 8 film for home movies. 1965: Cartridge audio tapes go on sale for a few years. 1965: Most broadcasts are in color. 1965: FCC rules bring structure to cable television. 1965: Solid-state equipment spreads through the cable industry. 1966 1966: Linotron can produce 1,000 characters per second. 1966: Fiber optic cable multiplies communication channels. 1966: Xerox sells the Telecopier, a fax machine. 1967 1967: Dolby eliminates audio hiss. 1967: Computers get the light pen. 1967: Pre-recorded movies on videotape sold for home TV sets. 1967: Cordless telephones get some calls. 1967: Approx. 200 million telephones in the world, half in U.S. 1968 1968: FCC approves non-Bell equipment attached to phone system. 1968: Intelsat completes global communications satellite loop. 1968: Approx. 200 million TV sets in the world, 78 million in U.S. 1968: The RAM microchip reaches the market. 1969 1969: Astronauts send live photographs from the moon. 1969: Sony's U-Matic puts videotape on a cassette. 1970 1970: Postal Reform Bill makes U.S. Postal Service a government corporation. 1970: In Germany, a videodisc is demonstrated. 1970: U.S. Post Office and Western Union offer Mailgrams. 1970: The computer floppy disc is an instant success. 1971 1971: Intel builds the microprocessor, "a computer on a chip."

1971: Wang 1200 is the first word processor. 1972 1972: HBO starts pay-TV service for cable. 1972: Sony introduces 3/4 inch "U-Matic" cassette VCR. 1972: New FCC rules lead to community access channels. 1972: Polaroid camera can focus by itself. 1972: Digital television comes out of the lab. 1972: The BBC offers "Ceefax," two-way cable information system. 1972: "Open Skies": any U.S. firm can have communication satellites. 1972: Landsat I, "eye-in-the-sky" satellite, is launched. 1972: Sony's Port-a-Pak, a portable video recorder. 1972: "Pong" starts the video game craze. 1973 1973: The microcomputer is born in France. 1973: IBM's Selectric typewriter is now "self-correcting." 1974 1974: In England, the BBC transmits Teletext data to TV sets. 1974: Electronic News Gathering, or ENG. 1974: "Teacher-in-the-Sky" satellite begins educational mission. 1975 1975: The microcomputer, in kit form, reaches the U.S. home market. 1975: Sony's Betamax and JVC's VHS battle for public acceptance. 1975: "Thrilla' from Manila"; substantial original cable programming. 1976 1976: Apple I. 1976: Ted Turner delivers programming nationwide by satellite. 1976: Still cameras are controlled by microprocessors. 1976: British TV networks begin first teletext system. 1977 1977: Columbus, Ohio, residents try 2-way cable experiment, QUBE. 1978 1978: From Konica, the point-and-shoot camera. 1978: PBS goes to satellite for delivery, abandoning telephone lines. 1978: Electronic typewriters go on sale. 1979 1979: Speech recognition machine has a vocabulary of 1,000 words. 1979: Videotext provides data by television on command. 1979: From Holland comes the digital videodisc read by laser. 1979: In Japan, first cellular phone network. 1979: Computerized laser printing is a boon to Chinese printers. 1980 1980: Sony Walkman tape player starts a fad. 1980: In France, a holographic film shows a gull flying. 1980: Phototypesetting can be done by laser. 1980: Intelsat V relays 12,000 phone calls, 2 color TV channels. 1980: Public international electronic fax service, Intelpost, begins. 1980: Atlanta gets first fiber optics system. 1980: CNN 24-hour news channel. 1980: Addressable converters pinpoint individual homes. 1981 1981: 450,000 transistors fit on a silicon chip 1/4-inch square. 1981: Hologram technology improves, now in video games. 1981: The IBM PC. 1981: The laptop computer is introduced. 1981: The first mouse pointing device. 1982 1982: From Japan, a camera with electronic picture storage, no film. 1982: USA Today type set in regional plants by satellite command. 1982: Kodak camera uses film on a disc cassette. 1983 1983: Cellular phone network starts in U.S.

1983: Lasers and plastics improve newspaper production. 1983: Computer chip holds 288,000 bits of memory. 1983: Time names the computer as "Man of the Year." 1983: ZIP + 4, expanded 9-digit ZIP code is introduced. 1983: AT&T forced to break up; 7 Baby Bells are born. 1983: American videotext service starts; fails in three years. 1984 1984: Trucks used for SNG transmission. 1984: Experimental machine can translate Japanese into English. 1984: Portable compact disc player arrives. 1984: National Geographic puts a hologram on its cover. 1984: A television set can be worn on the wrist. 1984: Japanese introduce high quality facsmile. 1984: Camera and tape deck combine in the camcorder. 1984: Apple Macintosh, IBM PC AT. 1984: The 32-bit microprocessor. 1984: The one megabyte memory chip. 1984: Conus relays news feeds for stations on Ku-Band satellites. 1985 1985: Digital image processing for editing stills bit by bit. 1985: CD-ROM can put 270,000 papers of text on a CD record. 1985: Cellular telephones go into cars. 1985: Synthetic text-to-speech computer pronounces 20,000 words. 1985: Picture, broken into dots, can be transmitted and recreated. 1985: U.S. TV networks begin satellite distribution to affiliates. 1985: At Expo, a Sony TV screen measures 40x25 meters. 1985: Sony builds a radio the size of a credit card. 1985: In Japan, 3-D television; no spectacles needed. 1985: Pay-per-view channels open for business. 1986 1986: HBO scrambles its signals. 1986: Cable shopping networks. 1987 1987: Half of all U.S. homes with TV are on cable. 1987: Government deregulates cable industry. 1988 1988: Government brochure mailed to 107 million addresses. 1989 1989: Tiananmen Square demonstrates power of media to inform the world. 1989: Pacific Link fiber optic cable opens, can carry 40,000 phone calls. 1990 1990: Flyaway SNG aids foreign reportage. 1990: IBM sells Selectric, a sign of the typewriter's passing. 1990: Most 2-inch videotape machines are also gone. 1990: Videodisc returns in a new laser form. 1991 1991: Beauty and the Beast, a cartoon, Oscar nominee as best picture. 1991: CNN dominates news coverage worldwide during Gulf War. 1991: Live TV news switching between world capitals during Gulf War looks simple. 1991: Denver viewers can order movies at home from list of more than 1,000 titles. 1991: Moviegoers astonished by computer morphing in Terminator 2. 1991: Baby Bells get government permission to offer information services. 1991: Collapse of Soviet anti-Gorbachev plot aided by global system called the Internet. 1991: More than 4 billion cassette tape rentals in U.S. alone. 1991: 3 out of 4 U.S. homes own VCRs; fastest selling domestic appliance in history. 1992 1992: Cable TV revenues reach $22 billion. 1992: At least 50 U.S. cities have competing cable services. 1992: After President Bush speaks, 25 million viewers try to phone in their opinions. 1993 1993: Dinosaurs roam the earth in Jurassic Park.

1993: Unfounded rumors fly that cellphones cause brain cancer. 1993: Demand begins for "V-chip" to block out violent television programs. 1993: 1 in 3 Americans does some work at home instead of driving to work. 1994 1994: After 25 years, U.S. government privatizes Internet management. 1994: Rolling Stones concert goes to 200 workstations worldwide on Internet "MBone." 1994: To reduce Western influence, a dozen nations ban or restrict satellite dishes. 1994: Prodigy bulletin board fields 12,000 messages in one after after L.A. earthquake.

1995 1995: CD-ROM disk can carry a full-length feature film. 1995: Sony demonstrates flat TV set. 1995: DBS feeds are offered nationwide. 1995: Denmark announces plan to put much of the nation on-line within 5 years. 1995: Major U.S. dailies create national on-line newspaper network. 1995: Lamar Alexander chooses the Internet to announce presidential candidacy. Content copyright © 1995-1996, Irving Fang. Graphics and HTML conversion by Kristina Ross. All Rights Reserved. Communication Timeline by Irving Fang School of Journalism and Mass Communication University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 55455 fangx001@maroon.tc.umn.edu